This document has been superseded by the "Engineering Simulation Quality Management Guidelines"

The purpose of the NAFEMS QSS Primer is to assist in the development and implementation of an ISO 9001:2008 and NAFEMS QSS:2008 based quality management system for engineering simulation. 

It is intended that the text provides sufficient information to understand the basic concepts of quality management, and to enable a quality management system for engineering simulation to be planned and developed within a simulation project organization, using a simulation error-controlled approach.

In order to develop an error-controlled quality management system for engineering simulation, it is first necessary to understand the engineering simulation process, its sources of error, and the fundamentals of project quality management. This is the subject matter of Part I of the text, where Chapter 1 begins with an overview of the engineering simulation process, Chapter 2 introduces quality management systems, and Chapter 3 discusses simulation project quality management.

Part II then proceeds to explain how these processes can be used to develop a project quality management system for engineering simulation in accordance with the requirements of ISO 9001 and NAFEMS QSS. From Chapter 4 onwards the structure of the QSS Primer is aligned with the clauses of ISO 9001 and NAFEMS QSS in order to support their interpretation and application. The appendices refer to quality management principles, terms and definitions.

Summary of changes from previous edition:

The QSS Primer has been extensively re-written, with the main improvements being:

a) the underlying simulation process has been formalised and more clearly explained;

b) NAFEMS’ most recent definitions of verification and validation have been included and explained;

c) the content  relates more closely to the QSS clauses;

d) former Chapter 3 on project processes has been replaced by a more practical chapter on simulation project quality management.

e) QSS clauses (previously included in italics) have been removed.